Neshoba Central plans own police force

The Neshoba County School District hopes to form its own police force by next school year.

Neshoba County Schools Superintendent Lundy Brantley said that they hope to have the proposed department in place by the next school year expecting to begin as early as July 1. 

Brantley said that they would have more information including an expected cost soon. “We will have more details in a couple of months,” Brantley said.

The item was approved unanimously at a meeting of the county School Board on Feb. 11.

School Board President Wyatt Waddell said that they hope to have two officers, the same number of school resource officers they have now. Waddell said that the officers would patrol the grounds, respond to incidents that take place on campus and would work all on-campus games.

“It would bring everything under our jurisdiction,” said Waddell, a career law enforcement man who is retired. “I feel like when everything goes off the ground running it will be a big benefit to the school district and increase safety for the children in the school and employees.”

Currently, the district has two Sheriff’s deputies on campus as school resource officers. 

The district pays the deputies while they are on campus or working at a district event. 

“We have two officers out there every day,” Sherif Eric Clark said. “They are two of our better officers.”

Both Clark and Waddell said that there have been no problems between the school district and Sheriff’s Office.

Clark said that he is aware of other jurisdictions that have their own police department.

Clark said Brantley informed him of the vote and the July 1 target date and noted that a school district police department would allow Clark to deploy his officers on other matters.

“It will take some pressure off of us outside of an emergency situation,” Clark said.